1491

This article is a little edgy and controversial, however if proposes a very interesting point. The idea is that there were people here on this land before colonization, and there were a lot more of them than what we were originally led to believe.
The idea proposed is that 95% of indigenous population died after the epidemic, and this epidemic was brought on by settlers.
When Europeans initially began examining the land, they witnessed a landscape that had been occupied. There is no doubt that the epidemics did wipe out most if the population, it is just up for debate how many people that truly was.
This paper opposes the “Pristine Myth” that the land they found was untouched by humans. This is important, as it suggests human beings had not yet impacted the land. The most likely scenario, is that Charles Mann is mostly correct with his theories, yet he may have over shot on the amount of people. Mann suggested there were 100 million which is likely too many.
Mann, Charles. “1491.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 1 Mar. 2002. Web. 1 Oct. 2015.